Paperboard protector for paint brushes



P 1952 w. A. RINGLER 2,609,920

PAPERBOARD PROTECTOR FOR PAINT BRUSHES Filed Aug. 23, 1949 h INVENTOR-Ml LIAM A7.- favaLe-e,

QLJZA ATTORNEYS- Patented sept. 9, 1952 PAPERBOARD PROTECTOR PAINTBRUSHES William A. Ringler, Wayne, Pa., assignor to The Gardner Boardand Carton (lo liliddletown, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio ApplicationAugust 23, 1949, Serial No. 111385 My invention relates to a knock downor collapsible paperboard structure designed for the protection of thebristle portion of paint brushes v or the like.

Objects of the invention are the provision of improved structures ofthis class which nevertheless are simple in form and economical toproduce, the provision of structures capable of repeated reuse, and notliable to destruction through repeated opening and closure, and theprovision of structures giving enhanced protection to the article ofmerchandise with which they are to be used.

It is an object of my invention also to provide a structure which, wheredesired, may be maintained in semi-erected condition in the absence ofthe article, facilitating the reinsertion of the article therein.

It is an object of the invention to provide a paint brush protectorwhich is suitable not only for use as a protection to the paint brushduring initial shipment, storage and the like, but which also may beemployed, as has hitherto been suggested, in preserving the bristles andmolding the shape of the bristle assembly of paint brushes which havebeen used and cleaned. It is an object of the invention to provide atight package for the bristle portion of a paint brush, resistant to theinfiltration of dirt and dust. It is an object of the invention toprovidea paint brush protector which is simple in manipulation, andwhich has other valuable features hereinafter set forth.

These and other objects of the invention which will later be indicated,or which will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading thesespecifications, I accomplish by that construction and arrangement ofparts of which I shall now describe an exemplary embodiment. Referenceis made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is a plan view of a cut and scored paperboard blank .producedin accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a partial perspective view of the blank after an initialstep of erection.

Figure ,3 is a partial pers ective View of the protector in one form ofthe erected condition, ready to receive a paint brush.

Figure 4. is a partial sectional view taken along the section line 6- 4of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a perspective View of the erected structure containing apaint brush, but prior to closure.

Figure 6 is a perspective view with parts in section showing the closedprotector containing the paint brush.

Referring first to Figure 1 in which solid lines indicate lines of cut,dot-dash lines indicate lines of score, and dashed lines indicate linesof weakening, I have shown a paperboard blank having a main panelforming the front panel of the structure. To the sides of the main panelthere are articulated triangular side wall panels 2 and 3 Claims. (Cl.206-15.1)

2 3, to the outer edges of which closure panels, 5 and 6 arearticulated. These closure panels "may be made in Various shapes, .butare conveniently made substantially triangular as shown, ands'oproportioned that their outer corners will overlap in the erectedstructure. v

To the upper end of'the main panel I I articulate an end wall panel I.This panel bears an inner end wall extension 8 having a flap 9..Diagonally scored webs it and II .interconnect the ends of the sidewallelernents 2 and 3. respectively and the ends of the end wallelementI.

To the lower edge of the main panel I I articulate a second panel l2ofsubstantially the same size. This panel forms, a rear protecting (panelfor the paint brush. It bears at. its end a tuck fiapl3. L Cutsformingincomplete ellipses are formed in the end Wall 7 and itsextension 81 The ellipses are completed by score lines as. shown, andthe configurations are oppositely directed as indicated to form a tab J4or 15 in each of the elements 1 and8, so positioned as to coincide whenthe inner end wall element is folded inside cutting and scorinsl ressoperations from suitable boxboard or paperboard, previously printed asmay be desired. The board may beheav ily sized or otherwise treated torender it moisture resistant, to prevent weakening when a 'previouslyused and washed brush is placed there in. It may also, if desired, betreated sofas to be resistant tothe solvents of paints and enamels withwhich the brush is to be used, or to "solvents and solutions employedfor cleaning brushes.

Where the structure is made of very heavy'pape'rjboard or boxboard foradded strength, certainof the score lines may advantageously be weakenedby cutting or slitting or perforating, as for example the diagonal scorelines I9 and 20 ,of the corner webs l0 and H, and the score 21 by. whichthe flap 9 is articulated. to the end wall extension 8.

Figure 2 shows my structure with the side wall elements 2 and 3 erectedat right angles tothe main panel I. In use, the end wall extension 8will be folded over inwardly of the end wall element 1. When this isdone, and when the tab elements l4 and I5 are depressed to the outerside of the end wall I, the engagement of the tab M in the orifice leftby the tab IE will serveto maintain the end wall and end wall extensionsin erected condition. This relationship willbe evident from Figures 3and 4. The depressionof the tabs l4 and i5 outwardly will also providean webs I and H.

The protector may be assembled about a aint brush in various ways. Forexample, the inner end wall extension 8 may be folded over inside theend wall I, and the tabs I4 and I passed through to the outside. Thenthe handle 23 of a paint brush of the size for which the protector isdesigned may be passed through the opening 22 left by the tabs l4 andI5, and the bristle portion of the paint brush laid against the main'This will result in erecting the end wallpanel I. structure with respectto the main panel. The side walls 2 and 3 may then be erected, the websI0 and I I folding bellows-wise and lying in folded condition either atthe top of the bristle portion of the brush, or alongside it. The panel12 will be folded over against the opposite face of the bristle portionof the paint brush, with the flap I 3 tucked down inside the end wall.The closure flaps 5 and 6 will be folded over on top of the panel [2,and snap fastener elements 15, H interengaged. This will result in astructure such as is. illustrated in Figure 6.

In an alternative erecting procedure, the side wall elements 2 and 3 mayfirst be brought upwardly at right angles to the main panel I, afterwhich the end wall element I is folded upwardly, accompanied by thebellows folding of the webs l0 and II. Then the end wall extension 8 maybefolded over inwardly so as to cover the folded The passing of the tabsl4 and through to the outside will serve to lock together the end wall 1and the inner end wall extension 8, giving the erected structure whichis illustrated in Figure 3. With the panel l2 coplanar with the mainpanel I, the brush may be inserted as illustrated in Figure 5, and thenthe structure closed. as hereinabove described. In the erected andclosed structure the flap 9 lies inside of nd parallel to the main panelI.

It will be understood that the structure herein described not onlyserves as a protection for the paint brush during initial shipment,storage and the handling incident to merchandising, but also that thepurchaser of the brush will retain the protector and will return to it aused brush which has been thoroughly cleaned. In this instance theprotector not only prevents damage to the bristles, but molds thebristle assembly into a tapered shape suitable for preservation and forfuture use.

Modifications may be made in my invention without departing from thespirit of it. Having described my invention in an exemplary embodiment,what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A paperboard protector for paint brushes and the like which comprisesa single, integral, foldable blank having a main panel adapted tooverlie one face of a brush, triangular side panels articulated to theside edges of the main panel, closure flaps articulated to the sideedges of said side panels and adapted to overlap in the closed position,an end wall panel articulated to an end of the main panel, diagonallyscored closure webs interconnecting the ends of the side and end wallpanels and adapted to fold bellows-wise inwardly when the side and endwall panels are erected with respect to said main panel, an extensionarticulated to the free edge of said .end wall panel which, when foldedinwardly provides an inner end wall overlying the inwardly folded cornerwebs, said end wall panel and its extension having tabs formed therein,said tabs adapted to be folded to provide an opening through which maypass the handle of a paint brush, one of said tabs being adapted to locksaid end wall panel and its extension in erected condition, and asupplementary panel articulatedto the other end of said main panel andbearing a tuck fiap at its free end, said supplementary panel being ofsubstantially the same size as the main panel, said tuck flap having acut-outportion responding to the openings in said end wall panel and itsextension, said tuck flap adapted to overlie said inner end wall formingextension with the cut-out portion thereof coinciding with the openingsin said end wall panel and its extension.

2. The structure claimed in claim 1 wherein the closure flapsarticulated tothe side panels are respectively provided with the partsof a separable fastener.

3. A one-piece paperboard protectorfor paint brushes which comprises acut and scored blank having a rectangular main panel adapted to overlieone face of a paint brush, triangular side panels articulated to theside edges of said main panel and tapered inwardly from top to bottom,closure flaps articulated to the side edges of said triangular sidepanels and adapted to overlap each other in the closed position, an endwall panel articulated to the upper end of said main panel, diagonallyscored corner webs interconnecting the ends of said triangular sidepanels and said end wall panel and adapted to fold inwardly bellowswisewhen the triangular side walls panel and the end wall panel are erectedwith respect to said main panel, an extension articulated to the freeedge of said end wall panel, which, when infolded provides an inner endwall panel underlying the inwardly folded corner webs, said end wallpanel and its extension having centrally disposed matingopenings thereinthrough which the handle of a paint brush enclosed in the protector willpass, locking means on said end wall extension for securing saidextension in erected position whereby said corner webs may be lockedbetween said end wall panel and said extension and thereby maintain saidtriangular side panels and said end wall panel in the erected conditon,a second rectangular panel articulated to the lower end of said mainpanel of substantially the same size of said main panel and adapted tooverlie the opposite face of a brush placed in the protector, a tuckfiap on the freeend of said second rectangular panel, said tuck flaphaving a cut-out portion responding to the openings formed in said endwall panel and its extension, said tuck flap adapted to underlie saidend wall extension with the cut-out portion coinciding with saidopenings, said overlapping closure flaps adapted to overlie said secondrectangular panel in the erected structure, said closure flaps being provided with the parts of a separable fastener.

WILLIAM A. RINGLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 828,847 Gorman Aug. 14, 19062,151,472 Hubbard Mar. 21, 1939 2,290,359 Ringler July 21, 19422,399,649 Marx May 7, 1946 2,418,350 Holy Aprfl, 1947

